Electric-railway system.



No. 650,997. Pit outed June 5, I900."-

J. M. TAYLOR. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM. (Apph at on a1 d Aug 29 1899) 3Sheets-Sheet l (No Model.)

Ha. WASHI No. 650,997. Patented June 5, I900.

J. M. TAYLOR.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

(Application filed Aug. 29, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(N0 Model.)

ammutoz g 5 No; 650,997. Patented June 5, I900.

" J. M. TAYLOR. v

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM. (Application mad Aug. 99, 1899.)

'(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

In: norms nmns co, FNOTO LITNO..WASHIN8TON o c UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JAMES M. TAYLOR, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

- ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

sPEGIFJLeATION forming part of Letters went No. e5o,997, dated June 5,1900. Application filed August 29, 1899. Serial No. 728,913. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that 1, JAMES M. TAYLOR, a mi zen of the UnitedStates,residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State ofNebraska, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric-RailwaySystems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inelectric-railway systems; and it consists in the general constructionand arrangement of the parts, more par ticularly the means, as will behereinafter set forth, for supporting a car from a motor-truckpositioned within an underground conduit.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 isa longitudinal sectional view showing the conduit or subway havingtracks therein for the motor, a stand- Fig. 2 is a Vertical sectionalview. Fig.3 is a sectional View on the line 33 of Fig. 1 looking towardthe slot or downward, said section also showing the position of thebrake-levers. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4 4: of Fig. 1looking upward. Fig. 5 is a top plan View of a disk carried by the upperend of the standard or supporting-post, and Fig. 6 is a bottom plan Viewof thedisk or supportingplate attached to the frame of a car-body.

The underground conduit or subway is preferably made up of cast-ironbraces A, which may have'therethrough openings,as a a, to receive andsupport wires for a return-circuit and for other uses. the bracesconverge, and between them is a slot. The upper ends of the braces arecurved in the segment of a circle on their inner sides, and to the sameare attached castings a, which, with the upper ends of the braces,provide recesses for the reception of slot-closing plates at and springsfor projecting said plates from the curved slot or housing, so that whenthe springs are not compressed the plates will be projected to abutagainst each other and close the main slot or opening. It will be notedthat the slot-closing plates will extend slightly above the upper endsof the braces and form an arched surface, which will better resistweight or pres-' The upper ends of sure thereon from street traffic thanan ordinary flat fslot-closer with hinged plates. The slot-closingplates are made up of short sections, and the supports therefor may havesuitable openings, so that dirt or street-refuse will not collectbeneath said plates.

The lower part of the conduit may be in the form of a trough and atsuitable intervals will be connected with the sewer system and in thebottom of the conduit, so as to rest upon cross-ties A and stringers Ato which are attached rails A upon which tra'vels the motor-truck B. Thelower inner walls of the conduit subway or tunnel are preferablyvertical, and said conduit need not greatly exceed the width of thetruck which travels therein.

Upon the rails A within the conduit is a four-wheeled truck, one of thepair of wheels of said truck havingadriving-gear b,attach ed to theaxles of the driving-wheels, said gear being driven by a gear b, whichis turned by thernotor B, said motor receiving a current of electricityfrom a wire A, suitably suspended within the conduit to be engaged by atrolley B which is mounted on an arm,

said arm being spring-actuated toward the feed-wire A. The motor andelectric connections are of ordinary construction, such as are used uponelectrically-propelled cars, and the wires for controlling the currentfrom the trolley to the motor are also of the ordinary type andarrangement and may pass to the car rear of one of the standards whichconnects the motor-truck, which is provided with center bearings, withthe car.

O refers to the longitudinal beams of the truck-frame, and near theirends said beams O are connected by'cross-beams C C (3 The hangers forthe car-axle are attached to the longitudinal beams O, and the motor Bissuspended by hangers or straps attachedto transverse beams 0 came motorbeing bolted the center of the truck-frame B is a transverse beamO,which carries centrally a fixture or casting with slotted ends andhorizontal apertures, to which are bolted brake-levers D D. The lowerends of the brake-levers are connected to brake-bars d, which carry theusual brake-shoes, said bars being connected by straps d, which extendto the transverse to the lower horizontal portions thereof. Near beam 0of the frame, and rods also extend from the brake-bars to the levers atpoints above their fulcrums. By the arrangement shown all of thebrake-shoes may be operated or brought in contact with thesupportingwheels by operating one of the levers. The levers are made upof fiat bars, and their upper ends pass through the slots and haveconnected thereto rods for operating the levers from the car. From theends of the truckframe project similar standards or posts E, and saidposts are braced by angle-bars e e, which are bolted to the sides of theposts and to the longitudinal beams, there also being angle-braces e,which extend from.the front and rear of the post or standard and areattached to the transverse beams c 0". The post or standard E is made upof a beam having a central web and lateral flanges, the flanges being atright angles with the slot, and said beam is of sufficient length toextend near the floor of the car.

The beam E has bolted thereto by bolts which pass through the forwardflan ges a plow F, the sides of which converge, and said beam orstandard carries on a line with the plow and opposite the slot-closingplates flat bars, which extend from one standard to the other and serveto hold the slot-closing plates depressed against the action of theirclosingsprings during the passage of a car. Between the flat bars F thebrake-levers D D pass, as well as the electrical connections from thecar to the motor. It will be noted that the flat plates or bars F abutagainst the ends of the flanges of the post or standard E and preventthe wearing away or injury to said standard by abrasion of the plateswhich close the slot or the side walls of the slot with the same.

The closing plates or covers for the slots can be removed when it isdesired to replace them by either sliding said plates longitudinally toa suitable opening in the upper portion of the conduit or by the use ofa suitable tool forcing one of the plates against the action of thespring and drawing the other one-that is, the one to be removed-beyondthe curved slot in the upper portion of the brace.

To the upper end of the standard is attached a disk G, which has anupwardly-projecting cylindrical portion located immediately above theupper end of said standard, and the sides incline downward and areprovided with recesses g, which form seats for springs 7b. The disk G isbolted to beams G, which are in turn bolted to the upper end of thestandard by ties and to horizontal crossbeams G the inner ends of whichare bent at an angle for engagement with the flanges of the standards.The ends of the beams G or angle-braces are bent downward, as shown inFig. 2, and bolts pass through said ends, the heads of the boltsentering countersunk openings at the bottom of the recesses 9.

Lateral brace-beams G which are connected to the beams or bars G G2 bythe bolts hereinbefore mentioned, have their ends bent to engage the webof the post or standard at a point opposite and above the slot of theconduit, and the bolts which connect the parts may also serve to holdthe flat bars F, hereinbefore mentioned, thereto. To the carfloor aresecured transverse beams, to which is connected a disk H, having acentral aperture and peripheral grooves in which the upper ends of thesprings are seated. The two conical disks G and H may be suitablyconnected not to interfere with the turning of the car upon the posts orstandards connected to the trucks.

By the construction shown a car-body is supported from a power-driventruck located within a conduit, surface tracks are avoided, and afterthe car has passed a given point the slot is automatically closed, andthe entire running-gear being underground will be protected from theelements, so that there will be no liability of trafiic being suspendedon account of storms, and the tracks willbe protected from wear and tearother than what is incident to the passing of wheels over the rails. Theparticular construction set forth thoroughly braces the posts orstandards, and the slot prevents the standards assuming other than avertical position, and there is sufiieient play provided between the carand the car-supports carried by the standards to permit the car-bodyrounding curves, and with the arrangement shown a comparatively-shortmotor-truck may support a long car, so that sharp turns can be made.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with an underground conduit having therein paralleltracks, of an electrically-propelled motor and car carrying truckprovided with vertical standards which are rigidly attached to themotor-truck, bearing-plates forming a part of a center-bearing truck forthe car-body attached to the upper ends of the standards, braces whichextend from said bearing-plates downward and are attached to thestandards at points opposite the walls of the slot of the conduit,substantially as shown.

2. The combination with an underground conduit having a longitudinalslot,automatic slot-closers, of a motor-truck located in the conduit andprovided with vertical standards and brake-levers which extend throughthe slot, a slot-opener carried by the standards, plates attached to thestandards on a line with the slot-closers, the brake-levers extendingthrough the slot between the plates, substantially as shown.

3. The combination in an underground electric-railway system, of aconduit having parallel tracks therein and a slot theret-hrough, amotor-truck havinga vertical standard with a central web and lateralflanges, a center bearing-plate for the car body rigidly attaehed to thestandard and provided with lateral brace-beams, the lower ends of thebeams being bent to lie between the lateral flanges of the standards ata point opposite the side walls of the slot through the conduit,substantially as shown.

4. In an underground electric-railwaysystem, a conduit in which themotor-truck travels, standards attached to the truck, a center bearingcarried by the upper end of the standard, a bearing for engagementtherewith attached to the car-frame, a shoe carried by and in advance ofthe standard, brakelevers pivotally attached to the motor-truck withinthe conduit, rods connected to the levers, the levers extending throughthe slot of the conduitand means for actuating the levers from withoutthe conduit, substantially as shown.

5. In an underground electric-railway system, a conduit havingmotor-truck and car supporting tracks therein, a motor-truck havingstandards which are attached centrally thereto and extend upward throughthe slot of the conduit, center bearing-disks attached to the upper endsof the standards, braces connected to said' disks and at points oppositethe slot to the standard, bearing=plates attached to the car-body andsprings between the sections of the bearing-plates, substantially asshown.

6. In a closed-conduit system of electric propulsion for cars, amotor-truck adapted to travel upon tracks within a conduit and supporttherefrom a car-body, the means for connecting the car-body andmotor-truck including center bearing plates and means whereby thecar-body can have a movement independent of the motor-truck, and brakemechanism carried by the motor-truck which is adapted to be actuatedfrom the car, sub stantially as shown.

7. In an electric-railway system, the com-' bination with a car, of amotor-truck to which are rigidly attached standards having longitudinalwebs and flanges the flanges being at rightangles to the Webs, centerbearing-plates mounted on the upper ends of the standards and bracedthereto, a pair of the braces havingtheir lower ends bent to lieparallel with the web and between the flanges of the standards,bearing-plates attached to the car-body for engagement with thebearing-plates of the standards, substantially as shown whereby thecar-body may have a limited movement independent of themotor-truck,substantially as set forth.

8. In an electric-railway system which includes an underground conduitwith motor and car supporting tracks therein, a slot located above andbetween the tracks, stand ards rigidly attached to the motor-truck so asto project through the conduit, a car-body supported from saidstandards, shoes and plates carried by the standards on a line with theside walls of the slot, a pair of brakelevers pivotally attached to themotor-truck and connected on each side of their centers to brake-shoes,said brake-levers extending between the standards and plates carriedthereby above the slot and means which extend toward each end of thecar, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JAMES M. TAYLOR.

IVitnesses:

T. H. CECIL, MARTIN LOHLEIN.

